A premier institution of women education in North India, Rajkiya Kanya Mahavidyalaya (RKMV) Shimla, is the only Govt. Girls College in Himachal Pradesh. It came into being in 1977 when the erstwhile RPCSDB College (estd. 1945) was taken over by the H.P. Govt. and converted into an all-girls College. From 919 students on its rolls in 1978, the number stands at 3500 today. The institution offers Bachelor's Degrees in three mainstreams of studies: Humanities, Science and Commerce. Besides continuing with the Honours' Course in English, Physical Education has also been included as a course of study in B.A., which began in the last lap of the last session. Sandhya Sangeet Mahavidyalaya (affiliated to the prestigious Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth (Luckhnow) conducts a graduate level course in classical music and a post-graduate level course in the Classical Dance, as also hobby classes in Music and Dance for the general public. The co-curricular activities like sports, cultural and literacy exercises find equal footing as do extension activities (NCC, NSS) career guidance and counseling, workshops and exhibitions. The College is situated on Elysium Hill, so named in 1838 after Lord Auckland's sister. Elysium is Greek for "a delightful place" and immensely suits the location as it stands amidst rolling hills, emerald valleys and the distant snow-peaks. The college is a ten-minute walk from the famous 'Ridge' and can also be reached by local buses plying on the circular Cart Road near which it is located.
The college also offers a number of facilities to its students in the form of various scholarships, a computerised library, a hostel, canteen, dispensary, computer classes, internet, PCO and banking facilities and its annual magazine 'PADMA' featuring the literary works of the budding writers of the college..